Redskins Notes: Boschetti Steps Up

...Tackle
Jon Jansen did not practice and had his right thumb taped. He received a
cortisone shot Tuesday to alleviate the pain and he'll practice in a cast the
rest of the season. But he will not play in one. Jansen also will need surgery on
that thumb after the season.

...It was
cold today. Darn cold. Brrrrr. The Redskins will be happy to get to the desert;
it won't be too hot for them, either. Forecast is for the mid-60s in Tempe.

...Don't
underestimate what players such as Ryan Boschetti can do. He's improved
tremendously on his base and he's very, very strong. Boschetti likes to do the
grunt work, a necessary trait for playing over the center. He set up Phillip Daniels well last week. Maybe Boschetti had only one tackle, but he can help
against the run without making many plays.

...The best
part of the job comes on Wednesday when coach Joe Gibbs has his weekly press
conference. After the TV cameras go away, a few print reporters are left to
pick his brain on various topics. We'll often chat with him another 10-15
minutes, sometimes joking around (like when he talked about his favorite comic
strip, the Wizard of Id, and his favorite movie, Young Frankenstein). Or it can
be more football related. But it always provides insight. Today, he talked
about Clinton Portis and how, when Gibbs asks him what plays he wants to run,
he'll often point out 40- or 50-gut. Portis does not shy away from the power
stuff.

...Former
Redskins kicker Nick Novak will stay on Arizona's roster the rest of the
season, even after Neil Rackers returns from a calf injury.